


Safe & Sound

by strawberryshorthoe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hijinks, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Post "The Future", Post SUF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23571844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryshorthoe/pseuds/strawberryshorthoe
Summary: In these crazy times, our heroes do the best thing they can do to help save the world. They stay home.This should be interesting.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Connverse
Comments: 13
Kudos: 79





	1. Reaching Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so uh this is my first fanfic ever! I have literally nothing else better to do & I have so many ideas in my head, so I decided to write them out! Its all based around the idea that what is going on right now is also occurring in the universe of SU. It is not currently beta-ed, but I could use a beta reader for future chapters! If anyone is interested, feel free to reach me on Tumblr at the user CavalcadeofNerds, or let me know in the comments. With all that said, stay HOME, stay safe, relax, and enjoy Safe & Sound!

He stared out into the dark night sky, Homeworld’s galaxy just beyond his vision. He felt the cool of the Dondai’s roof on his back through his shirt. He could see how the Earth rounded out just from this little spot in an open field in the Keystone state. Steven had been to multiple planets and galaxies before, but that never made the Earth seem smaller. There is so much Earth to experience and to love. So many different people to meet who could feel and breathe the same way he did.

It had been about three weeks since Steven said goodbye to his childhood home of Beach City, and already he had met so many different people from so many different walks of life. It reminded him of why he wanted to protect humanity so much, but humanity needs to protect itself too. He had apparently been missing out on the trend of wearing face masks in public, but he didn’t see a reason as to why he would need to wear one. He had heard about a sickness recently going around, but did not really see a reason to panic. It couldn’t be more than a simple cold, right? If anyone he knew got sick, he could just heal them. 

A few minutes later he felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket. He’s been spending less time on his phone as of recent. He decided he didn’t need a constant flow of political news and pop culture. He needed to focus on himself during this trip. He saw Dr. Maheswaran’s icon on his phone and he picked it up. It was a video call.

“Steven, can I a- Why are you outside?” She asked with a scary amount of urgency. 

“Did Connie not tell you? I moved out of Beach City about three weeks ago and I’m currently on a road trip around the country!” He answered enthusiastically. 

“Are you out of your mind? Have you seen the news?”

“Not really? I’ve been taking some time to focus on my mental health so I put a pause on all the news-“

“I’m glad & proud of you for taking care of your mental heath Steve, but you need to go home.”

“Why? Is there an emergency? Is there a gem trying to kill me again?”

Priyanka looked confused for a second but then continued. “No, but there is a human emergency right now. There is a deadly illness sweeping the globe right now. It supposedly originated from animals, but its source is not important right now. Over 1 Million people have been infected. It is spread from human to human contact. It had given people horrible fevers, coughs, and breathing issues. It has killed over 80,000 people Steven. “

Steven felt his stomach drop. 80,000 people? 

“I need you to go home and quarantine yourself Steven. I don’t know for how long but please. You’ll protect yourself and other people around you. The hospital I work at is overflowing with patients. I have not had a decent night of sleep in days. I have never had this many patients die at once. Grandparents, and even people your age. One minute we’re having casual conversation, the next minute they’re flat-lining. We health professionals don’t know how to treat it yet, so the best thing we can do is prevent it. So please Steven. Go home.”

He did not want to do it. He did not want to do it at all. He had literally just left!He already felt dreadful just thinking about going back and staying at home indefinitely, but he did not want to hurt anyone. 

He breathed in and spoke. 

“Okay. I’ll do it. I had heard something was going on, but I had no clue how severe it was. Is there anything I can do to help you out? You look exhausted.”

Priyanka spoke up. “Well I was going to ask you if you could house Connie at your home until all of this blows over? Her father and I are both working on the front lines and we do not want to risk her health. I would send her to one of her relatives but she has been exposed to the virus already, and I do not want her to carry it to them. The virus can be asymptomatic in young people. You and the gems are less likely to get sick, being that you are half-gem and the gems can’t contract human diseases. You would be doing us a tremendous favor, as well as Connie. Doug and I are out for most of the day and when we come home, we can’t really interact with her. She’s getting lonely. She needs you Steven.”

“Of course, Dr. Maheswaran. I promise to take care of Connie, for as long you need me to. Let me know if she has any dietary restrictions or medications that I wasn’t already aware of. The gems can handle getting necessary supplies for us, and we have more than enough money for supplies as well. You can count on me.” Steven finished with his signature reassuring smile. 

“I cannot thank you enough Steven. I’ll send over all the information you need, and I’ll video chat you all every day. Have a good night and stay safe.”

“To you as well. Thank you for your hard work & trust Dr. Maheswaran.”

Priyanka gave a brief smile and said “Call me Priyanka.” And hung up.

Steven then sent a quick text to Pearl explaining that he’s coming home, and that he will explain more when he gets there. He got in the car, turned it on, and set off towards the Maheswaran residence.


	2. Search & Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven falls out of a tree and Connie misses her parents.

He parked the car outside of the Maheswaran residence. It was about 10:03 P.M. He looked toward Connie’s window with a look of sorrow on his face. Connie must have felt so lonely during all of this. Why didn’t she say something? She didn’t need to go through this alone. 

He picked up the phone and called Connie. 

Connie felt her phone vibrating next to her and saw Steven’s smiling icon on her phone screen. Guilt began to settle in her stomach. She hadn’t talked to Steven in over a week. He seemed so happy on his adventure the last time they spoke, she didn’t want to spoil it for him. Everything in her life suddenly became so depressing. She can’t even say hi to her mom when she comes home from work because Priyanka immediately heads to the shower to disinfect. Her dad doesn’t get home until around 3 A.M. Her school shut down 2 weeks ago and won’t reopen until next fall. All she’s been eating is canned soup, frozen breakfast, pre-made dinners, or whatever simple meal she can put together herself. This way of living has been nothing short of miserable. She let her phone go to voicemail. 

Connie got up and walked over to her vanity. She looked in the mirror and saw a mess. Unkempt hair, baggy eyelids from a messed-up sleep schedule, and the same sweatshirt from 2 days ago. It was hard to believe that just a month ago she was living her best life, with a bright future ahead of her. Its hard to believe how quickly the world can change.

She heard a bristling in the tree outside her window and she turned her head to see Steven tangled in a bunch of branches. She opened her window and whispered into the night.

“Steeven, what are you doing? Why are you here?”

He chuckled and responded with “Can’t a guy visit his girlfriend every once in a while?”

She blushed. “Apparently not without getting stuck in a tree. Do you need some help there?”

“Uhh, no, probably not, just give me a sec.” Steven untwisted himself from the tree and fell to the ground with a thud.

Connie rushed down the stairs and opened up the door to a Steven with twigs in his hair. She smiled and came in for a hug. Steven pulled her closer and embraced her warmth. He missed human contact so much over the past few weeks. She played with one of his curls at the back of his head & pulled out a leaf. 

“Hey look, I found treasure.”

Steven smiled. “So did I.” He said as he pecked her forehead and came fully in the house, shutting the door behind him. “Are you ready to go?”

“Ready to go where?” 

He looked at her with a look of confusion on his face. “Did your mom not tell you?”

Connie felt panic starting to rise within her. “Tell me what? Is she okay? Did she call me? She must’ve called while I was making dinner, hold on Steven I’ll be ri-“ She was cut off by a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Connie. Look at me. Breathe. I spoke with your mom earlier. She’s okay. She called to ask if you could stay with me until this virus blows over.”

She focused her efforts on calming herself down. Deep breaths. Okay, She’s okay. 

“Stay with you where?”

“The Temple.”

“The Temple? But Steven, your trip!”

“I’m putting a pause on the trip until the world is in a better condition. The rest of the world isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Besides, this means I get to spend some time with you & my family. I’ve missed you all so much, and I haven’t even been away for that long.”

Connie looked down at her feet. She felt her face heating up & tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. “I- I’m so sorry Steven. I didn’t want to hold you back with all my problems. My life has gotten miserable here, and I didn’t want to drag you down. When I called you before you had seemed so happy.”

“Hey, if something is bothering you, its bothering me. And right now, we should focus on taking care of each other.” He said softly as he wiped a tear from her eye. “Its you and me against the world, and that’s enough. Jam buds?”

She interlocked her fingers with his. 

“Jam buds.”

“C’mon, let me come help you pack.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three suitcases and one trip via Lion later and all of her necessary belongings were at the Temple, waiting to be unpacked. By the time they got everything over, Steven and Connie were exhausted, the latter more so than the former. Unpacking would wait until the morning. Steven placed a comforter on the couch as well as some extra pillows and motioned for her to come lay down. She made her way over to the couch, but dragged Steven down with her. There they laid, facing one another. Connie turned over and pulled Steven’s arm over her shoulder. Normally this kind of position would make Steven glow all kinds of shades of red, but he was far too tired and far too comfortable to care at the moment. He pulled the blanket up over the two of them and they both drifted peacefully to sleep, dreaming of a better tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not expect the first chapter to get as much love as it did! Thank you guys so so much. I plan to update this fic a couple times a week. I would give a more definite upload schedule but I'm not used to writing all that much, it literally took me two whole days to write this chapter. As always, you can find me on Tumblr under username CavalcadeofNerds. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I know some of you may be wondering why Greg did not reach out to Steven either, but hang tight. It'll be covered. With that said, stay safe and healthy, and I hope you have a great day.


	3. Reconnecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning brings an important conversation.

Steven felt a cold prodding against his cheek. He grunted as the morning sun broke through the window and assaulted his face. He turned in more towards Connie’s hair, refusing to wake up. Too warm, too soft, world cold and hard. 

“Waaaake UUUUP LOVEBIRDS!” Amethyst screeched through a shapeshifted megaphone.

Peace was never an option. 

He rose up off the couch and let out a large yawn. He opened his eyes to see Pearl and Greg by the stove, and Amethyst right in front of him. 

“Good morning Ste-man! Looks like someone got cozy.” Amethyst teased. 

“Yeah, yeah, save i- Woah. What is that smell?”

She answered “Greg and Pearl are making breakfast for our guests of honor.”

Pearl turned around and shot Steven a smile. “Oh, good morning! I hope you slept well. How would you feel about a spinach and cheddar quiche?” 

Fresh. Homemade. Breakfast. Stars were forming in his eyes just thinking about it. It had been far too long since he had homemade food. 

“Pearl that sounds incredible, thank you! Oh, good morning Dad!” 

“Mornin’ Steven.” Greg said offhand as he was currently focused on reading the instructions on the vegan bacon package. 

Connie turned over, missing Steven’s warmth and sat up as Garnet appeared out of the Temple. 

Garnet jokes “Ah, the noble knight rises to the occasion.”, which earns a laugh out of everyone.

Pearl pulled the finished quiche out of the oven as Amethyst, Connie and Steven take a seat at the table, later joined by Greg with fresh vegan bacon. The house feels so warm and light. Almost human, even. Pearl finished serving out breakfast and took a seat on the couch next to Garnet. “So what bring you two here?” questioned Pearl.

Steven spoke up. “Well as some of you know, there’s a virus sweeping the world right now. It’s been hurting and even killing a lot of humans. It isn’t really safe for me to be on the road right now, so I decided to take a break until all this sweeps over. Connie, on the other hand, her mom is a doctor and she’s out there fighting this virus. Her dad is still working as a private security guard for hospitals and nursing homes. It isn’t safe for her to be around her parents right now, they could bring home sickness to her. So until things get better, she’s going to be staying with us.”

Connie looked down into her plate of food. All of her worried feelings started to bubble up in her chest. Her mom has probably seen so many patients die. What if she gets sick? What if her dad gets sick? What if they both die fighting to save others? Is she going to be an orphan? What if th-  
Her thought spiral is cut off by Steven squeezing her hand underneath the table.

“Connie,” Garnet spoke softly as she put a hand on Connie’s shoulder. “We are more than glad to have you here with us. You are a crystal gem too. We aren’t going to let anything bad happen to you, Steven, or your family.” Greg nodded in agreement. “That’s right. We’re going to take care of each other. It’s the best we can do.”

Connie felt herself starting to smile. “Thank you, guys. It really does mean a lot. Now let’s not let this beautiful quiche get cold!”

Then there everyone ate in comfortable silence. Things weren’t okay, but they had each other.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connie left with Pearl to catch up on some sword training in hopes it would help keep her mind off of things. Meanwhile, Steven and Greg were cleaning up after breakfast. 

“So Dad how’s it been? Living with the gems?” Steven asked as he dried a dish. 

“Oh it’s been good. Amethyst and I have been binge watching some new sitcoms on this web streaming platform called Webflixs. There’s some pretty good stuff on there actually, I think you would enjoy it. Garnet has been helping me get into shape & I’ve been trying out new recipes with Pearl. How about you though? How’s the open road been treating you?”

“Honestly, its pretty nice. I’ve gotten to meet some people my age along the way, and they have added me to the wackiest group chats. Can’t say I regret it though, its nice knowing more than one person your age. I’m excited to head back out once things are looking better.” Steven finished while putting a fork away. “How do you feel about all this virus stuff?”

Greg thought to himself for a moment. “It’s a little bit scary, but we’ve both seen scarier, am I right?”

“Uh Dad, just because it isn’t a gem emergency doesn’t mean it isn’t an emergency.”

“Well yeah, but it doesn’t really affect us that much, y’know? The gems can’t get sick, and it's not like I leave much anyways.”

Steven gripped the counter a little bit too hard, as he could feel his fingers going white. How could he be so selfish? “What about me? Did you even think to call me? To warn me?”  
“Steven you’re half gem, you never get sick and you can take care of yourself.”

“STOP USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE.” He felt his cheeks start to glow bright pink, so he took a second to walk away and breathe. He sat down on the couch and Greg sat beside him.   
“Dad, there has never been anyone like me. I could have gotten sick. I could’ve been carrying it to other people without even knowing it. I could have it now without even knowing it? Being half-gem is great, but I need you to stop forgetting that I’m half human too. I’m vulnerable. And what about Uncle Andy, or any of our other relatives that you’ve neglected to speak to all these years?”

Greg felt a lump forming in his throat. “I-I’m sorry Steven. There’s no excuse for what I did. I guess pretending that everything will be okay is my way of coping with this. I’ve never seen anything like this happen before. I’ve seen the world change a lot, but never this quickly. The world won’t go back to what is was after this. I think that’s what scares me the most. But I should have done better.”

Steven leaned into his dad. When did things become so muddled between them?

“Dad, I think we should use this time to work on communicating. Both of us. I think it will do us some good.”

Greg held Steven closer. The gems were nice, but he missed his family. “You’re right. We have nothing but time on our hands, lets use it to make things better for us. Y’know, why don’t you go call Uncle Andy right now? I bet he can get you contact information for the rest of the family. You deserve to have a human family too.”

Steven pulled out of the embrace and looked at his dad. 

“Yeah, I think I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a doozy. I would have loved to see Steven and Greg reconcile more at the end of Future. Mr. Universe kinda tore Greg's character apart, so seeing a resolution, or at least a little more hope for one, would have been nice. But its fine, we always have the power of fanfiction! Thanks for reading this chapter & let me know your thoughts on it. I'm still looking for a Beta reader so if you are interested, let me know in the comments or you can message me on Tumblr. Next up, Bird Mom comes through!   
> Stay safe and healthy guys, I hope you have a great rest of your day.


	4. Sworn to the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl & Connie catch up on some sword training.

The Sky Arena’s cool atmosphere was a nice change of scenery for Connie. It had been a while since she had been there, due to there not really being a need for it anymore. But she missed this place. Pearl handed her a sword of her own. It felt so foreign, a normal sized sword rather than the huge sword she normally used. 

Alright, time to focus. 

Connie slipped back into her dueling stance.

Pearl offered Connie the right of way.

Keep your stance wide, keep your body lowered.  
As you’re moving forward balance is the key. 

Moving forward.  
Forward.

How could she move forward? She was grounded in place. How could she strive to gain a future that is uncertain? How can she hope to go to college or even finish high school? Nothing was guaranteed! How can she even think about moving forward when she might not even have her parents next week? 

Connie wished in that moment that she had Sapphire’s future vision. Perhaps then she could have a clue as to how to move forward. Everything nowadays just felt so out of balance. She could not trust her own government officials for accurate information! One minute they were saying people shouldn’t wear masks, the next they’re urging people to wear bandanas as masks. People have been spitting on Asian people in the streets & calling them all kinds of derogatory slurs, even though they had nothing to do with the creation of the virus. Millions of people are now unemployed. Young adults are being refused the financial assistance they need to survive. 

Nothing made sense to her anymore. 

She felt hopeless. She looked at Pearl, but all she could focus on were the butterflies swirling around Pearl’s head. Connie’s heart started to race, and she ended up tripping over a rock, falling face forward. 

“Connie, are you alright?”

Connie was kneeling over, hands on the ground and hair falling all around her face. Her breathing was out of control and tears were rolling off of her face, splashing to the ground. 

Pearl approached Connie and kneeled down in front of her. 

“Connie. Tell me what you need right now.”

That sentence alone opened up a whole can of worms. 

“What do I need! I need some sense of stability! I need to know my parents will be okay. I need to know that society won’t remain in shambles after this. I need to know that this will end!” She cried out, her anguish echoing in the arena. 

“Connie, I cannot guarantee anything. Not even Sapphire can guarantee anything. I’ve seen this happen before, but that was on an Earth that is much different from today. I told you during the war, all I had was the way I felt, my strategy and my sword. That’s all anyone has right now. But I want you to think about the future your parents are fighting for. They aren’t just fighting to protect and save random civilians. They’re fighting for you, so that you can have a future where you can pursue your dreams. They do it for you, and I know they can win.”

Connie leaned into Pearl as Pearl started running her hands through Connie’s hair. She missed this motherly contact.

“They need you to be strong for them. You are their hope. So tell me Connie, how do you feel?”

Connie looked down and responded. “I feel scared.”

“Completely understandable. Now, what is your strategy?”

“Staying safe and away from others.”

“Now what do you believe to be your sword?”

Connie thought to herself. What could possibly combat all of this fear & uncertainty? What does she have the power to wield?

There was only one answer.

“Hope.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Connie & Pearl warped back into the Temple & found everyone huddled around Steven. 

“Hey guys, what’s going on?” Connie asked as she and Pearl approached the group. 

Garnet gave a smirk. “You tell me.” Steven handed his phone to Connie are there she saw Doug & Priyanka waving hello to her via video call.

“Mom! Dad! Oh my gosh, hi! How are we all on at the same time?” Connie would’ve had tears in her eyes, but she dried them out at the arena. Doug spoke first.

“Connie! Oh, I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you much lately. Things have been a little hectic, as you know. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating three meals a day? Are you drinking enough water?”

Connie chuckled and gave them a warm smile. “Of course, my health takes #1 priority right now.” Priyanka spoke up at this point.  
“That’s right, and don’t you forget it. I won’t be able to stay on much longer, but I wanted to tell you that I love you. As you already know you are in great hands right now. The crystal gems have your back, and so do we. We can’t wait for the day when we can hug you again.”

“I love you too, Mom & Dad. I miss you guys so much. I’ll keep making you proud, no matter what.” Connie finished with a proud smile.

“We know, sweetie.” Steven decided to jump in at this point. 

“Thank you both so much! You two really are our heroes right now. You’re giving your all to protect humanity, and we couldn’t thank you more.” Garnet jumped in next.

“We have decided to honor you both with the title of ‘Honorary Crystal Gem”, for fighting for our home & for all of humanity.” 

Connie felt her heart warming at the sentiment. She was truly blessed to have these people in her life. “Alright, I know you have to go Mom, and I’m sure Dad has to go too. Stay safe. I hope the rest of today and tomorrow is easier for you both. I’ll talk to one of you tomorrow. I love you!” Both of her parents said they loved her too, and she ended the call. What they did not know is they had a surprise in store.

Amethyst held two bubbles with small white jewelry boxes inside of them. Steven held Connie’s hand and tapped the top of both of them, sending them off to their respective locations.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Maheswaran was about head back out onto the floor when a bubble appeared before her. She popped the bubble and a white jewelry box fell into her hands.

She opened the box and smiled at what was inside.

It was a small yellow star pin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world is a scary, scary place to be in right now. But please, do not give up hope. Someday, somehow, things will get better. For now, we just have to remain hopeful and support each other.  
> Also please do not be racist to our eastern Asian friends. Pretty much any and every Asian person you can think of has had nothing to do with the creation of Covid19. Don't take out your frustration on innocent people. It's wrong. Perhaps try to understand how our (US) government has failed us in many ways during this crisis. Fight for justice instead of blaming innocent people.  
> Other than that, woo! 2 chapters in one day! I am absolutely in love with the idea of Pearl comforting Connie. Other than Steven, it would make sense that Pearl is the Crystal Gem that she trusts the most. The next couple of chapters should be more light hearted, so hang tight guys. Things are about to get fun. With that said, stay safe, be kind, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.


End file.
